


Switch | a Yuri On Ice and Banana Fish crossover

by mon0worldd



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga), Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Aged-Up Yuri Plisetsky, Ash Lynx Lives, Ash and Yuuri dont get along at first, Ash has a panic attack, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Banana Fish X Yuri On Ice crossover, Character's Name Spelled as Viktor, Confident Katsuki Yuuri, Eiji has a nightmare, Established Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Heartwarming, M/M, Married Couple, Married Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Multi, Supportive Victor Nikiforov, Switched Places AU, Viktor and Eiji are very awkward, Viktor and Yuuri try to play dad to their juniors, Viktor is an idiotic husband but a caring man, Yuri Plisetsky's Nickname Is Yurio, and it kind of works, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:47:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24411535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mon0worldd/pseuds/mon0worldd
Summary: Eiji Okumura and Yuuri Katsuki wake up to find themselves sleeping in the wrong bed with the wrong person. How do things plan out between the switched couples, and how do they reunite?
Relationships: Ash Lynx/Okumura Eiji, Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov
Comments: 29
Kudos: 343





	1. and who the fuck are you ?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you're here from @/go1hyoongi on Wattpad, hello!
> 
> Yes, this is the whole work of Switch, so if you've already read what's in the YoI headcanon book, you can skip to the second chapter :)) 
> 
> \- rhit

Yuuri Katsuki remembers distinctly falling asleep embracing his husband after a short shower and an equally short discussion about growing out hair.   
This is why, when he wakes, he mutters the usual, soft "Good morning, Vitya."

A guttural voice replies, "What?"

Yuuri hums, his eyes still closed shut, and uses the hand that wasn't stuck under his 'lover' to push his hair back. "You want me to make breakfast today? I don't mind, but you're gonna have to help me with the pancakes. . ." 

As he raises his head to place a sweet good morning kiss to his Viktor's lips, he comes face-to-face with a mop of blond hair screaming "Who the everloving _fuck_ is Victor?"

And Yuuri freezes.

It takes a second or two for the black-haired 29-year-old to process who he sees and where he is, but right as he tunes back into reality, the blond is already far on the other side of the bed and pointing a small black object at him.

"You're not Eiji," says the blond boy shakily, a massive amount of caution and warning to his voice. Although he _sounds_ young and innocent, his tone gives off the exact opposite energy.

Yuuri squints enough to get a somewhat clear view of the boy before him.   
Other than his golden locks, he's got a small but buff build, and what seems to be green eyes, but from 1 and a half meters away paired with myopia, it's hard to tell.   
But one thing that Katsuki can finally see more or less is the revolver in the boy's hand directed straight at his face.

The skaters' first reflex is to immediately jump off the mattress and raise his hands in surrender. "Who the hell are you?" 

"Oh yeah? I'd ask you the same question." retorts the blond, scoffing and tilting his head as if aiming. "You one of Golzine's men? Pretty sure I faked my death a year ago, so there's no way you guys would still be on my track." The man grips the firearm even tighter and puts considerable pressure on the trigger. "This some type of sick joke? Where the _hell_ is Eiji?" he yells through gritted teeth.   
He pressures again, and the faint _click!_ of the mechanism echoes throughout the cramped bedroom. 

Yuuri shivers. _Some horrible shit must have happened to him and this Eiji_ _guy for him to react like this_ , he thinks.

"Calm down," is the only thing he can manage to say in his tremor, "I'm just as confused as you are here."

Silence falls, and Katsuki can hear his heart hammering over the blond's heavy breathing.

After a precious thirty seconds of this 'quiet', the golden boy speaks. "Mind elaborating, maybe? Because this shit is loaded and so is my patience."

The elder swallows nervously before risking a turn of his head to look out the window. Based on Yuuri's limited knowledge of landscape terms, he's able to deduce their location as some type of remote countryside, because all that catches his eye is grass, cornfields and little wooden houses, as well as the distant scent of manure.

"First of all, what's your name?" asks Yuuri.

Despite his growing impatience, the boy complies. "Ash. You?"

"Yuuri. Yuuri Katsuki-Nikiforov." Katsuki turns back to the boy with the revolver. "Alright, then. Where am I, Ash?" 

"Cape Cod, Massachusetts," he supplies desperately. Ash is itching to get the point of _Where Is Eiji_ _,_ but if getting there means delving deeper into this weird, dark-haired stranger who looks painfully familiar. . . might as well.

"Massachusetts," murmurs the elder. "America?" he then squeaks, "We're in America?"

"Yeah, U.S.A. You live on Planet 51 or some shit?"

Instead of reacting to the comment, Yuuri's trembling worsens. His hands fall to his sides and begin clawing at the hem of his shirt.   
"Oh, no. This -no- this isn't good." He slowly backs up against the wall, his breathing progressively getting faster and heavier. "I shouldn't be here."

"Yeah, no _shit_. Any specific place you _should_ be, Yuuri?" Ash is on the verge of shaking like a leaf himself as he observes the strange man, with his poor eyesight, his t-shirt and boxers, and his earlobe-length black hair.

Ash's right index is still tight on the trigger, but his grip on the back strap starts getting clammier by the second, and it almost slips from his dominant hand. He slips his left under the handle carefully. 

"St. Petersburg, Russia," replies Yuuri, "That's where I live, and that's where I went to bed with my husband."

Ash stares at the man, blinking hard a few times, then flatly states, "You're kidding. That's impossible. It's on the other side of the world and it's like 3pm there."

"Y-Yeah, which is exactly why t-this isn't good," stutters the other. 

Ash stares at the man some more, decides he _isn't_ kidding, and without really realizing it, he lowers the gun. It slides from his grasp and onto the mattress. 

Before the blond can try asking any questions, both men's ears fill with a shrill ringing.

"God fucking dammit." Ash leans over to pick up his cell and finds himself looking at an unknown number with a format stranger to him. 

He gingerly holds out the device in front of him and lets Yuuri lean in, who averts his eyes to see better.  
"Do you recognize this number, Yuuri?" he asks, his voice steely.

Yuuri peers at it for a few seconds before his face lights up. "That's Viktor's!" he exclaims. "But how-"

"And I'm assuming this Victor guy is your husband?"

The two briefly meet eyes, and Ash takes it as confirmation. He receives the call, presses the speaker button, and is immobile with surprise when the frantic "Hello?" that comes out of the mic at full volume is none other than _Eiji Okumura's._

***

**_[Saint Petersburg, RU - Five hours earlier]_ **

Viktor was well aware that his husband Yuuri tended to move around in his sleep. He was also aware that Yuuri was a lengthy sleeper.   
So, he wasn't exactly surprised when it was 10 am on a Sunday, and the tuft of black hair at his right was still snoring away, tucked under a sea of blanket folds.

Viktor went about his day, which was as normal as a day could be if you're a retired competitive figure skater previously named Russia's Treasure.

Eventually, noon came along, and as the figure skater hunk finished cooking lunch, a piercing scream broke the serenity of the villa.

In the blink of an eye, his heart racing and his mind packed with alarming questions and scenarios, Viktor ran up the stairs and into the bedroom, only to find himself looking at a complete stranger, who was tangled in the blankets and panting furiously, occasionally mumbling "Aslan? ...Shorter..." in between his dry sobs and yells.

And for an embarrassingly long time, all Viktor could do was stare in disbelief.

He looked similar to Yuuri in a few key points (i.e: their race), but this man seemed a _lot_ younger, with a slightly bigger build.   
Instead of the boxers and baggy t-shirt he remembered seeing his boyfriend fall asleep in, the young man wore a normal pair of striped pyjamas that hung loosely on his shoulders.

The stranger murmured a string of Japanese curse words (all of which Viktor recognized from many drastically different events), shifting the shit around him and heavily breathing.

_How do you keep your cool when faced by a complete stranger in your bed when you distinctly remember going to bed with a completely different person?_

Viktor approached the bed step by step, slowly raising his hands in front of him, attempting at calming the younger, whom he assumed just woke up from a nightmare. "Are you okay?"

The younger boy was too busy controlling himself to respond, but after a good thirty seconds of shaky breathing, he looked the silver-haired man into his sea-blue eyes and spoke.

"Who are you?" he asked, quivering from head to toe as he backed up against the headboard.

"I'm– I'm Viktor Katsuki-Nikiforov, you might have seen me on TV a few times?"

His eyes glazed over, and he slightly nodded. "A-And. . . Where am I? What am I doing here?"

"Well, you're in St. Petersburg, Russia. As for the second question, beats me."

The man froze. "R-Russia?" he stammered.

"Yeah. . . What's the last place you remember being in?"

"A-At home. In Cape Cod."

"Cape Cod. . .?" Viktor rolled his hands over to signal elaboration.

"M-Massachusetts."

"Oh, dear." Viktor straightened and set a finger to his lips. "That's not good."

Eiji just nodded, too freaked from how normally the man was behaving. 

"What's your name?" asked Viktor, pressing into the bed with his hands and smiling warmly.

Despite Viktor's welcoming aura, the youngster was hesitant, gripping the sheets with impressive strength. "E-Eiji."

"Wait right here, then, Eiji." Viktor shortly held his palms up and spun to clamber down the stairs.

Almost as a cautionary reflex, Eiji obeyed and waited, his legs crossed and his heart pounding in his ears.

After a few minutes, Viktor returned, a cellphone in his grasp and a triumphant expression painted across his handsome face.

"Is there anyone at home you can call and talk to, Eiji?"

Eiji nodded again. "M-My boyfriend, Ash."

"Boyfriend?" At this, Viktor froze, his eyes glazing over and widened. "Holy shit, I am _such_ an idiot." His heart rate doubled, and he slapped a hand to his forehead.

"What is it?" asked the younger man, fear bubbling in his stomach, expecting some cold homophobic remark, but instead Viktor reeled over and laughed sourly.

"I-I've been so concentrated on helping you, I didn't realize. . ." Viktor stood up and wiped at the sweat coating his forehead. "My husband Yuuri's been missing this whole morning."

*

"S-So, you're saying it's 3 am in Massachusetts right now?" asked Eiji, after Viktor had briefly explained that the younger would be able to call his lover once it was an acceptable time in Cape Cod.

Viktor had immediately got to work helping Eiji once realizing Yuuri had abandoned his phone at his bedside. Although he had a nauseating worry eating at him from the inside, he took his priorities to whatever was possible at the moment.

"He wouldn't be awake by now," stated Eiji once the elder nodded. "Ash isn't exactly an early waker."

Viktor chuckled. "Neither is Yuuri. 'Guess we have a type, huh?"

Eiji seemed to notice Viktor's sudden glumness. He reached his arm out to tap his elder's shoulder reassuringly a few times. "Don't worry, Viktor-san, you'll–" He paused to search for words. "No, _we'll_ find him. I can help you out as much as you like."

"Damn," Viktor scoffed, smiling. "You really don't have to."

"You're helping me find Ash, so I think it'd be disappointing if I don't help you find Yuuri."

"Right." He slumped. "That's true. Thank you, Eiji."

Viktor was probably the first person since Ash with whom Eiji felt secure with, despite only ever seeing the man being praised on TV in the past and thinking of him as just another irrelevant famous person. Then again, Eiji tended to cling to people who cared for him as his parents would. 

The pair sat in silence, awkwardly twiddling their thumbs for a few minutes as they sat on the edge of the bed. 

Viktor suddenly got up and cleared his throat. "I made some lunch earlier. You should eat, Eiji." 

Eiji followed suit and inched off the bed. "Yeah, I– I guess I should."

**_[Present time]_ **

3 pm hits, and Viktor walks into the living room with his cellphone in hand while Eiji is seen sitting at the table, staring off into space.

"Hey, Eiji?"

The boy wakes from his zone-out and shakes his head. "Yes?"

"It should be about 8 am in Cape Cod right now. You can use my phone to call him."

* 

"So, um, Ash sometimes uses a burner phone to avoid people tracking him, which I always tell him is really silly since everyone thinks he's dead, and he just kinda looks at me all weird, and I find it pretty cute." Eiji looks up at Viktor's indifferent expression. "Which isn't important," he mutters, looking down. 

"No, no, that's fine! My husband likes to talk about me like you do with Ash." Viktor laughs. "He starts gushing, and when the people around him don't have facial reactions, he shuts down so fast."

"Yuuri sounds very nice," says Eiji.

"Oh, believe me, he seems innocent at first, but you get close enough to him and he's just this _beast_. Pretty sure it was my coaching him that made him like that."

"I see." Eiji types in the ten digits of his boyfriend's number and presses _Call,_ then the speaker button. 

Approximately twenty seconds pass, and the 00:00 appears at the top of the screen. 

"Hello?" says Eiji frantically.

*

_**[Cape Cod, Massachusetts]** _

Ash goes completely blank as he recognizes the slightly high-pitched and adorkable voice of Eiji Okumura.

"E-Eiji?" he stammers, "Why—"

"Oh god, Ash, you won't believe me at all, but when I woke up I was in a completely different house, and the guy who lives here, his name is Viktor, was really chill about it, but I was so scared, and Ash—"

Yuuri, who notices Ash's jaw drop to the floor, interrupts. "Ash? Are— Are you okay? That's the guy you mentioned before, right? Eiji?"

Ash just slowly nods, and through the receiver comes out a cry of surprise.

"YUURI?" exclaims Viktor. " _Lyubimiy_ , you're with this Ash guy?"

"Yes, jeez!" Yuuri shoots an exasperated glance at Ash before looking back at the phone. "I just woke up and I was in his bed!"

The four men fall silent.

"Something. . . Really strange just happened," says Ash after a good twenty seconds of pure quiet.

Yuuri, who moved to sit on the bed next to Ash, does nothing but nod, staring into space and pressing his lips to the thick gold ring on his right ring finger.

After a few thirty seconds of Ash and Eiji mumbling to each other about many different things at once, the 28-year-old speaks.

"We have to find a way to reunite _you guys_ , and Viktor and I," he states, his eyes still glazed over.

"Yeah, because lets _completely_ ignore how fucking _weird_ this whole situation is, right?" retorts Ash, throwing his hands up in the air. 

"Exactly. We're over 4000 miles apart, and we need to fix that." Yuuri gently grabs the cellphone from Ash's grasp and addresses himself to his husband. "Viktor, dear, would you rather come to America, or have us fly to Russia?"

"I think we should ask _them_ that," says the garbled voice from the phone. "We're both used to travelling anyways."

"Because you're athletes?" asks Eiji.

Viktor nods. 

Ash jerks his head to look at Yuuri, who's still staring at the floor, gripping the device with tenacity. "Athletes. . .?" he mumbles, then shakes his head. _That's not important, Ash_ , he tells himself.

"Aslan?" says Eiji.

"Hm?"

"What do you say we take a few days of Russian vacation?" 

Ash sighs, then from his bedside grabs a laptop, which he opens and starts typing on. 

As the young blond types, the three remaining men are silent, the clicks and taps of the keyboard echoing in both rooms. 

"Well," starts Ash after about a minute of furious typing and scrolling, "There's a flight from Boston to St. Petersburg tomorrow. I have enough for two tickets. We could leave in the early morning and be there by the evening." 

"Then it's settled!" concludes Viktor, slapping his hands together. "I'll see you tomorrow, Yuuri dear." 

Yuuri snaps back to the present time, takes a few seconds to process his husband's words, then smiles, flushing red hot. "Yeah, okay. I love you." 

"Love you too." 

Ash goes blank. He doesn't think he's ever been told those words as a heart to heart thing. Hearing them being said so casually between two married men barely ten years older than him was like a slap to the face. Will he and Eiji become this relaxed one day? 

"Hey, Aslan?" 

Ash comes to. "Yeah?" 

"Don't worry. I'll be by your side soon." 

And Ash damn near tears up.   
He doesn't need something as straightforward as 'I love you'. He just needs whatever abstract reassurance he can get. 

He sniffs. "Of course, Eiji." 


	2. ash and yuuri...are...friends now .

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ash and yuuri try their best to bond during the one night they have to spend together in order to reunite with their lovers. how does a slightly socially anxious figure skater find common points with a former street gang boss with ptsd?

Once the call ends and the initial shock fades, Yuuri is left alone, while Ash promptly leaves the room for "doing some. . . stuff," as he states.   
  


With nothing in possession except his clothes (pray for his eyesight y'all), Katsuki takes the opportunity to do some stretches on the carpeted floor.

Ash coincidentally walks back in half an hour later with a piece of toast just as Yuuri is in a middle split, his arms outstretched in front of him. 

"Oh," says Ash, lingering his gaze on his elder. "You're quite flexible." 

Yuuri looks up, his face slightly twisted in the strain of the position. He lets out a soft groan. "Yeah, I'm a competitive figure skater. It's kind of a given." 

"Really?" he asks, "So you're famous?" 

"Well," Yuuri sits up. "Not as much as my husband was before his retirement, but sure." 

Ash walks over to the bed, takes the laptop sitting closed upon the mattress, and slumps down while opening it. 

A minute or two passes, and Yuuri is doing a leg hold when Ash goes "Yuuri Katsuki-Nikiforov, right?" 

"Yeah. . ." Yuuri lets go of his leg, but the limb doesn't waver. "Are you searching me up?" 

"Can't exactly trust everyone I meet on the spot." Ash stops typing and glances wildly between the screen and the man sitting on his floor. He concludes that, in fact, _this man is not lying_ , then scrolls further down. 

It's when the blond is skimming a four-year-old article titled ' _Men's F_ _igure Skating Legends Yuuri Katsuki and Viktor Nikiforov Tie the Knot in Italy Ceremony_ ' that Yuuri asks the question Ash had been expecting from the beginning. 

"You and this Eiji guy," he says, "Are you two dating?" 

Ash pauses. Curse his dumbass, he thinks for a moment that Yuuri is gonna break his calm with a homophobic remark. Yuuri, the celebrity in a _gay marriage_ with another celebrity, is gonna hit Ash with some anti-gay retort. How _stupid_ of him. 

"Yes," Ash replies. "Why do you wanna know?" His tone is slightly rude, but neither man notices. 

"No reason," he shrugs, "Must be nice knowing that if you ever wanna get married, you don't have to travel to where it's legal." Yuuri lowers his leg and sits on the floor, a small but sad smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. 

"Oh." A knot forms in his stomach at Yuuri's words.

Ash diverts his attention back to the screen, where the same article is still open, showing a shot of a good-looking silver-haired man picking Yuuri up by the waist. Both men are wearing white suits with blue flowers in the breast pockets, and both have wide, happy smiles stretching across their entire faces. 

It makes him feel a twinge in his heart, a tug at his heartstrings. Part of him is happy that this complete stranger whom he met barely two hours ago is getting the happy life he probably deserves.  
The other part of him is insanely jealous. Why doesn't _he_ , Aslan Jade Callenreese, get a life like this?  
Sure, Ash is just 19, while Yuuri's pushing 29. Ash has _plenty_ of time to make himself this type of life.  
But why did it have to seem so fuckin' hard for _him_ and not for _Yuuri_?   
The answer is obvious, yet Ash Lynx refuses to acknowledge it. 

With a heaving sigh, the knot loosens. "Yuuri?" asks Ash. He continues when the elder raises his head inquisitively, "Would you like to eat anything?" 

He's looking at the man before him with a blank expression, but secretly, Ash is teeming with excitement. Since faking his death a year ago, the only person he's ever able to be casual with is Eiji. Now, he has this whole new person shoved into his life, and it's not someone he has to be wary around. It's not a member of organized crime with an ulterior motive to rape him or kill him. It's a normal man, with normal intentions of comfort or just a small talk, and Ash has to... no, _wants_ to learn how to give back these intentions. 

* * *

There's an awkward lunch and dinner with equally tense hours in between before Ash can finally speak to Yuuri again. 

After setting the bed in the guest room for the elder, he lingers in the room for a while. 

"Hey. Sorry for the whole gun thing earlier," he says, scratching behind his ear.

"Oh." Yuuri starts studying the floor. "That's okay. I was a bit scared, but it's fine."

"I just. . ." Ash seems to hesitate with his words, then decides better. "Never mind. Goodnight, I guess." 

And he turns back and walks out. 

Yuuri hasn't been genuinely intrigued by a person since the rollercoaster that was 2015, which he simply labels as _The Year I Met Viktor And All The Shit That Went Down Afterwards._  
But when he meets Ash, who keeps his mind on offence at all times and seems to only ground himself when being spoken to by Eiji, Yuuri feels this sense of intrigue once again and questions it. 

**

He's right about to doze off when he starts hearing muffled sniffling from the other room. 

In a few quiet steps, Yuuri is already at the doorframe, where he sees Ash curled up in the mound of blankets, shaking.

Freeze. "Ash?" asks Yuuri. 

He gets a shaky breath and a dry sob in reply. 

Step by step Yuuri approaches the bed, one hand outstretched. He arrives at Ash's side and lightly brushes his fingers against his back, to which the younger snaps, suddenly sitting up and slapping away his hand.   
"DON'T FUCKING TOUCH ME!" yells Ash. He has dry tears plastered to his cheeks and his eyes are red. 

Yuuri flinches and steps away. "Okay," he says as calmly as he can. "Breathe, Ash. Just breathe." 

And Ash obeys, because he needs just about _anything_ to get him out of this. He inhales, exhales, and repeats a few more times, while Yuuri simply stands silently by the bed, his hands intertwined at his back. 

_In, Out. In, Out._

He can tell Yuuri has a question itching at the back of his mind. It's written all over him, in the form of slightly narrowed eyes, lips pressed together too tight, and the squeaking of sweaty hands rubbing against each other. 

_In, Out. In, Out._

"I don't wanna talk about it," mutters the younger. 

"You don't have to." There's an edge of uneasiness to Yuuri's voice. "Not if it makes you uncomfortable." He can tell Ash is pained, and though it seems a much deeper pain than his, Yuuri sort of understands.

"You sure you don't wanna know why I'm so insane?" he spits. "I can see it on your face." 

"Insane? Not at all." Yuuri takes his own deep breath and his shoulders slump. "Although until two and a half years ago, I probably _would_ have asked you exactly that." 

Ash stops, disoriented from the elder's behaviour."W-What changed your mind?" 

Yuuri scoffs and places a quick peck to his ring. "I guess you could say marrying an idiot four years older than you really helps you mature." 

For a moment, Ash is distracted, and he snorts. "An idiot? Your husband is an idiot?" 

"Oh, definitely." Yuuri meets eyes with the younger. "When we first properly met, which is when he became my coach, he was horrible at it. Wouldn't understand why I had so little confidence in myself, and tried to fix it by making me seduce him."

"Seduce, huh?" Ash stifles another laugh with his fist. "Sounds interesting. Did it work?" 

"Sort of. It's a long and wild story, honestly," says Yuuri, waving his hand dismissively. "Don't we need to leave in about four hours?" 

The blond's smile falls just a bit. "I'd pull an all-nighter just to avoid whatever that was." He sighs, falling back onto the bed. "A long story is all I need right now."

The two fall silent for a count of exactly three seconds. 

"Oh. Alright." Yuuri finally loses the tension in his body and moves to sit on the opposite side of the bed. "You'll have to understand if I sleep through the flight, then."

"Have at it, grandpa." 

***

Yuuri Katsuki might be a little more open to the things around him thanks to meeting his idol-turned-husband. But one thing he hadn't dabbled in at all was bonding with kids.

And although Ash isn't exactly a kid anymore, it's a good enough start. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAA okay so  
> I had originally planned for Ash and Yuuri to be completely averse to each other for the whole time they have to be in the same house without their partners, and then for Viktor and Eiji to be just,,,,,, really BONDING bonding. 
> 
> But, after a while and some real examination of each character, I thought it would be a good idea to give the Vik/Ei plan to Ash/Yuuri and Vik/Ei get a different development! 
> 
> pls pls tell me your opinions/thoughts on this it would b very appreciated :)) 
> 
> \- rhit


	3. with his piercing green eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [With blond, shoulder-length hair, piercing green eyes, a pretty-boy appearance, and an expression that screams Fight me!, the stranger looks so painfully familiar it gives Eiji goosebumps. He's tempted to throw himself at the man and wrap him the tightest hug he can muster. For a few seconds, he goes blank.]

**[31 hours until reunion]**

Eiji knows nothing should faze him anymore. He bonded with a so-called ruthless killer, ended up in multiple sticky situations with members of organized crime, chased after information on a mind-control drug for nine months, and raided a fancy party with guns ablaze to rescue one (1) boy.

But when he peeks from behind Viktor at the front door of his villa and meets eyes with an Ash Lynx lookalike, Eiji Okumura immediately loses all composure. 

With blond, shoulder-length hair, piercing green eyes, a pretty-boy appearance, and an expression that screams _Fight me!_ , the stranger looks so painfully familiar it gives Eiji goosebumps. He stands at the doorframe with a hand to his hips and his head cocked to one side, face contorted in what seems to be confusion. Eiji is tempted to throw himself at the man and wrap him the tightest hug he can muster. For a few seconds, he goes blank. 

Viktor smiles and waves at the stranger, inviting him inside with a gesture of his other hand. He says something, but for some damned reason, Eiji's gone completely berserk and doesn't process the words.

He momentarily chokes, and asks stupidly, "Aslan?"

All three men fall silent. 

"Eiji, this is Yurio," says Viktor, scrunching his face up into a rather awkward smile and gesticulating towards the said Yurio. "He's another skater." 

Eiji's eyes go wide and he sputters, "O-Oh." He blinks uncertainly a few, slow times. "He looks a lot like Ash." Eiji laughs, ruffling his hair with one hand. He mumbles a short, formal apology in Japanese under his breath.

"Does he?" Viktor turns to Eiji, eyebrows furrowed together. "Your boyfriend sounds like quite the hunk."

Yurio stares Eiji down for a few seconds, then snorts, turning towards his silver-haired senior. "Wow. I thought I'd never see the day you would take someone new under your wing." 

Viktor goes red and replies to Yurio in Russian. They snap at each other in their mother tongue back and forth for quite a while as Eiji stands still in the threshold, unsure what to say.

"Damn it. Fine." Yurio gives in with an exasperated sigh and turns back to Eiji, reaching his hand out. "I'm Yuri. Viktor and his pig husband call me Yurio since it avoids confusion, but," He glares at the man before him. "They're the _only_ ones who can call me that." He pauses, then adds, "Besides Yuko." 

"Oh, how nice. You two are still in touch?" asks Viktor, suddenly standing at the stove, twisting and turning the knobs. "I thought you'd forgotten everything after losing the Hot Springs On Ice. You never came back to Hasetsu after that."

Yurio promptly ignores him.

Eiji takes the blond's hand with his weirdly clammy one. "I'm Eiji. Nice to meet you." 

Yurio nods, almost dismissively. He steps into the house after pulling his sneakers off, then politely nudges past Eiji. "So, where's Katsudon? I feel like teasing him about his taste in carpets again."

Viktor purses his lips and sighs. "Yuuri is. . ." 

"Oh? He's not home?" Yurio slumps face-first onto the couch, then turns over to face the ceiling. "But wasn't he here last night?" 

"It's a long story, but I guess we have time," replies Viktor, pausing to open a cabinet and pull out a family-size bag of chips. He chucks it at Yurio, who catches it effortlessly. As he continues to mill around the stove, he explains everything to Yurio, from the freaking out to the phone call to the processing part. 

By the end of it, Yurio is nothing but blank-faced. "That makes no sense," he says flatly. With a swift few movements, he opens the bag of chips and shoves a few into his mouth. 

"Yura, wait a damn minute," chides Viktor. "I'm putting them in a bowl for everyone. And please close your mouth." 

"Shut up." Yurio swallows his mouthful a few seconds later, then turns to Eiji, who moved to sit on a nearby chair from the dinner table. "So let me get this straight. You and Katsudon switched places overnight, and now Katsudon and this 'Ash' guy are gonna come to Russia? Then what?"

"I- I don't know," replies Eiji, leaning slightly back into the chair and huffing. "We're not sure yet?"

"Ah, Eiji." Viktor pulls a bowl out of another cabinet and sets it on the glass table in front of the couch. "The two of you could stay in the city for a few days if you'd like. We have a guest room."

"Really?" asks Eiji, a tremble of hesitation to his voice, "Are you sure it's okay? We barely know each other." 

As Eiji speaks, Yurio gets up to toss the contents of the bag into the bowl, then takes another chip in his mouth. "He's right, you know." 

"I barely knew Yuuri, but I still flew to Japan to be his coach and help him succeed," says Viktor, a soft, endearing smile tugging at his mouth. "And now we're married." He quickly flashes his left hand behind him as he makes his way back to the stove. "So, how about it?"

"Are you saying you already wanna get _that_ close to Eiji and his boyfriend?" Yurio asks through his chewing, rolling his eyes. "You met them today, Viktor." 

His shoulders fall, and he huffs. "I know that."

"Besides," continues the blond, dragging his words by a fraction of a second in his exhaustion, "Katsudon already asked you to be his coach beforehand, _and_ you saw that stupid video of him doing your gold medal routine. In this case-" 

"Friendships take _time_ to bloom, Yuratchka. I'm just saying it'd be nice to be a good friend of theirs." 

"Hmph. Whatever."

Silence falls, leaving Eiji the freedom to stare at the floor and _think_.   
If it wasn't for Viktor's weirdly adaptive personality, he'd most likely be locked up, and oh boy, did he hate being cooped up like that. A few days in Yut Lung's grasp (on _two_ fucking accounts, how idiotic of him) made him loathe the thought of being taken over. 

Instead, Eiji was comforted, treated as casually as if he'd simply knocked at Viktor's door with a written invitation. Seeing as, lately, the only place he could feel like this was at home, it feels stranger to him. But, just like _all_ the times he and Ash had had to switch hideouts, he simply needs to adapt. _Like Viktor. That's it._

***  
  
**[28 hours before reunion]**

It's 9 pm when Yurio finally decides to leave, quite honestly tired from all the social interaction. 

"You better hit me up when Katsudon comes back. I wanna see Ash for myself," he says at the threshold, furiously tapping his shoe on the floor while in a casual split, trying to get a rock dislodged from the sole. 

Viktor smirks. "Arrivals are at 1 am on Tuesday. Isn't that past your bedtime?" 

Yurio looks up, scowling. "I've stayed up past 3 am countless times. That's nothing. Bring me with you."

"What are you gonna say to Ash anyways?" asks Viktor, perplexed, pressing a hand to his lips. "You don't even know him." 

"If anything, he'll feel threatened that you look exactly like him," grumbles Eiji. 

"Is that so?" goes Viktor. "Ash is. . . interesting." 

He just sighs. "That's an understatement."

"Well anyways," Yurio gets up from the floor and absentmindedly taps a beat on the doorframe. "If Yakov comes over screaming about me, just tell him I'm studying or something." 

Viktor lets out an exasperated, dry bark. "God, what did you do this time?" 

"Skipped practice. I went to have a drink with some friends." Yurio's tone is dismissive and paired with a small wave.

The sigh Eiji then lets out is almost wistful. "I wish I had enough friends in my pole-vaulting days to do that." 

"You—?" Viktor abruptly turns to gape at Eiji, before shaking his head and going back to the blond in front of him. _Not important._ "If you don't attend practice tomorrow I'll personally come over and whoop your ass, Yuratchka." 

"Yeah, yeah. I got it. Not planning on playing hooky anyways." 

With that, Yurio exits, slamming the door behind him with a final warning. "And don't call me that! Yurio is slightly more bearable." 

**

"So," starts Viktor after what seemed like the heaviest silence they'd ever experienced. "Pole-vaulting?"

The two sat at the couch following Yurio's leave, Viktor slowly consuming the eggs he boiled. 

"Oh." Eiji's stone-carved, small smile suddenly falls and he sighs again, rather sad than nostalgic. "I used to. Back in Japan." 

Viktor notices the sudden slump, and his eyebrows furrow together in concern. He understands the concept of ' _used to'_ when it comes to being an athlete. As a retired figure skater, hell, he actually relates. "What happened?" he asks, "If you don't mind telling me." 

"An injury," Eiji replies almost immediately, "It was minor, but I was told it'd be impossible to go professional at that point."

"Oh. I'm so sorry." 

There is a brief second where Eiji seems to lose focus. His smile returns. "It's fine now, I guess." 

"You've healed, haven't you?" asks Viktor. 

They meet eyes, and the elder notices that Eiji's expression is that of acceptance. He's accepted that he won't be able to pole-vault like he used to, and, this he can only assume, Eiji has found something new in his life worthy of his love and attention. 

He doesn't wait for a reply. "That's good." _If only one day I could reach that point,_ thinks Viktor.


	4. reunited with the love of your life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The reunion, at last.

**[Cape Cod, MA - 15 hours before reunion]**

Ash tiptoes his way into the guest room at 3 am sharp to awake the (self-proclaimed?) figure skating legend, only to find it unnecessary. The man is already wide awake, more or less, spread-eagle on the bed with his eyes struggling to stay open. 

"Yuuri?" he asks. 

" 'S it time to go?"

"Yeah." He tosses a pair of jeans and a belt onto the mattress. "I don't know your size, but I think it might be around Eiji's, so here."

Yuuri takes the clothes in hand and studies them for a while, then looks up at Ash. "Thanks." 

"Hah, it's nothing. You're not wearing any pants, so I just kinda had to." His eyes linger on Yuuri's face, then flit down to his shirt, where a nickel-sized yellow stain sits in the middle of his chest. "You've got a stain."

Yuuri goes wide-eyed and looks down. His smile falls. "Shit." 

"I can get you one of my shirts if you want." Ash pushes back his hair a few short times and glances behind him at his and Eiji's room. 

He hesitates. "No, it's fine." Yuuri rises from the bed and slips on the jeans while the blond leaves the room. He returns with a full backpack just as Yuuri finishes pulling at the belt. 

The skater pats down the jeans a few times in the stuffy silence. "Alright. Let's go." 

***

Ash Lynx leans back into his plane seat and glances at the man dozing off beside him with his hands intertwined at his torso. The sunlight passing through the window hits the athletes' three rings. On his right fourth, a thick gold one. On his left fourth are two thinner bands: one silver at the bottom with a small diamond in the middle, while the other is plain gold again.  
It doesn't take rocket science for Ash to understand which is for which event. He still remembers ten hours ago, Yuuri's compelling and detailed story about the ups and downs of the year he and Viktor 'met', told in an attempt to get Ash's mind off of his crying fit: 

_"Viktor was buck naked, in my parents' hot spring, telling me he'd become my coach and shit. Make me win the Grand Prix Final or something like that. I don't remember, it was like, four and a half years ago."_

_"And instead of, you know, a_ normal _reply,_ _he tackled me onto the ice and kissed me! On live fuckin' TV!"_

_"I bought the rings, as kind of a symbolic gesture for Viktor being my coach, but he just had to go and tell people we were getting married."_

_"And then we skated together to a different arrangement of the routine that, he tells me made him fall in love with me? Pretty sure he was lying, but y' know, whatever."_

_"Viktor proposed on the ice a year later, and we got married the year following that. It took a bunch of stressful paperwork, of course. But it was worth it, because I'm insanely happy with him."_

Did the story work? Well, kind of. At the moment, Ash's train of thought was a weird combination of Eiji's voice asking him to make breakfast, and various elements from Yuuri Katsuki's retelling. But deep inside of him he still felt that pang of fear, of desperate longing and loneliness. Not having Eiji by his side as promised felt like his entire world was back to its previous, violent state. 

It's then that Yuuri decides to stir from his sleep. He sits up and rubs his eyes after a few seconds of taking in his surroundings, then turns to Ash. "How long until we land?

"Just over five hours." 

A sigh, then a scoff. "Great. What are you planning on doing once you meet up with Eiji?" 

"I was thinking we could stay in the city for a while," Ash replies almost on the spot, backing further into the plane seat. "It's not like we weren't used to switching hideouts all the time in the past anyway. One or two days in a new country wouldn't hurt." 

Yuuri raises his head. "Hideouts?" 

Ash pauses and shakes his head. "Forget I said anything."

* * *

There's an exciting type of tension between Ash and Yuuri that eats at their minds when they exit the plane. When they're at the edge of Arrivals, they're practically shaking.

While Ash can easily spot Eiji standing near a bench with his eyes glued to the glass barrier, Yuuri barely processes anything before Viktor's arms are wrapped tightly around him and his lips are pressed to his forehead. They immediately throw themselves into a rapid-fire conversation, mixing three different languages into one big jumble. 

"Eij'," starts Ash when he's pulled away from his boyfriend, "Those were the worst 42 hours of my life." 

"You counted them?" Eiji giggles and presses his face into the blond's chest. "Aslan..."

Ash scoffs. "How could I not?"

Behind them, someone gags. "Gross." 

They whirl around. Yuri Plisetsky leans against a metal column of the airport with a water bottle teetering between his fingers. He's watching the husbands with a twisted look as they laugh, Viktor holding Yuuri up by waist in a near-perfect imitation of their infamous wedding photo. 

"Why do they always have to do _that_?" he asks himself, snorting. "It's so stupid." 

Eiji waves to grab Yurio's attention. "Yuri, you came after all." 

"Yeah, 'course I did. Like I said, I wanted to meet your boyfriend myself." He walks towards the pair and offers the bottle to Ash. "You've gotta be Ash. Want some?" 

Ash doesn't respond, because he's too busy staring at the shorter man with wide eyes. "Eij', who's this?"

"This is Yuri," replies Eiji. "He's friends with Viktor and his husband." 

He hesitates. "You sure he isn't some—?" 

" _Aslan_." 

"Okay, fine." 

Yurio's slyness seems to fade just a bit. He offers the bottle to Ash once more and uses his free hand to twirl a few strands of his hair in between his fingers. "It's vodka."

Ash silently accepts and takes the canteen just as Viktor and Yuuri arrive at their side. 

"Vitya, this is Ash," says Yuuri, carefully setting a hand on the taller blond's shoulder and waving at Eiji.

A cough, then a hushed "Fuck," followed by the dribbling of hard liquor down Aslan Callenreese's shirt, all in less than three seconds. 

"Aslan, you okay?" Eiji snickers as he takes the bottle from him.

Ash pats down his shirt, cursing and coughing. "It– I choked on it. This stuff is _strong_."

Yurio scoffs. "Of _course_ it is. Have you never had vodka before?" 

Yuuri hands a tissue to Ash and turns to his right. "Yurio, how have you been?" 

"Hah, it's been barely two days since we last saw each other. I'm the exact same, moron."

Ash finishes drying up near a garbage can and comes back a few minutes later only to stand awkwardly in the distance, watching two different conversations go down in earshot. There's some enthusiastic Japanese going back and forth between his boyfriend and Yuuri, with the elder occasionally pausing to check on the two Russian men, who on their end are fervently bantering, again in a language Ash knows zero, zip, nada about. 

"I just wanted to say, Eiji-kun," says Yuuri as they walk further away from the chaos of the Russian yelling and the stiff Aslan. "Ash is a little. . . terrifying." 

He laughs. "I get that a lot. He's just kind of like that to other people."

"Was he like that to you?" 

"Sure, at first." Eiji hesitates, wants to say something, but decides better. "But it was understandable." 

Yuuri studies the younger's expression. It's tense and uncomfortable, as if the process of Ash and Eiji growing so close together is a topic that's not to be brought up.

"I see." 

"Viktor." Yurio's words have slight slurring to them, and he shoves a finger at the elder's face. "No normal person would jump onto their husband like that after just 42 hours apart. Accept it, you are obsessed." 

"Yurio, are you perhaps drunk?" Viktor presses a hand to his lips and hums. "Ash _did_ say the liquor was strong." 

" _A_ _m_ not. He was lying," huffs the twenty-year-old. 

Ash, standing a meter or so behind Viktor, finally speaks, in an attempt to shake off the thoughts plaguing him. "So does Yuuri usually sleep without any pants on?" 

Viktor spins, a hand to his mouth to smother a laugh. "Yes, my husband _always_ does that. Although I can't say I hate it." His English is slightly accented from the sudden language switch. "But sometimes he'll wear sweatshirt and sweatpants and it's even funnier." 

"Hey, at least I don't sleep buck naked half the time!" shouts Yuuri, somehow still within earshot 13 feet away. 

"Sorry my love, but no sane man would wear _that_ many layers to sleep," Viktor calls. He turns back to Ash and Yurio. "Hope Yuuri wasn't too much trouble."

Ash laughs nervously, the image of him pointing his handgun directly at Yuuri's temple flashes before his eyes. "Actually, I'm pretty sure _I_ was the one who gave _him_ trouble." 

When the two Japanese men return, there's a short discussion about _where to go from here?,_ while Yurio sits apart from them, sipping the rest of his vodka. 

"Eij', you do want to stay here for a while, right?" 

Eiji pauses to think, then looks up at Ash with a small smile. "Yeah. I think it'd be nice for you to finally get out of the house for once." 

Viktor and Yuuri turn to one another in unison. "Which guest room should we get ready?" asks Viktor. "The one on the first floor or upstairs? Or perhaps the basement?"

"How many damn bedrooms do you guys _have_?" exclaims Ash.

"Just around five. Maybe six, but the basement is pretty scary," replies Yuuri offhandedly, shivering. He laughs softly when he glimpses Ash's bewildered expression from the corner of his eye, then addresses his husband. "The one upstairs, dear." 

Yuuri, Viktor, Ash, and Eiji went through the weirdest 42 hours possible. But when it comes down to it, all four of them felt it was needed, because they each made two friends who, despite their more confusing sides, seem. . . trustworthy. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for not updating in so long!! Everything has been a mess lately with the arrival of summer and humidity and whatnot, and I've been overthinking about a bunch lately :// My writing style keeps evolving every week or so and its a little infuriating to review my work from merely a month ago because it's all so DIFFERENT sjsjdjsjdjsj anyways enough ranting, next up will be the "final" chapter, an epilogue!!


	5. the bakery (final chapter)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is so late damn its been over two months since chapter 4 :/// so sorry about this ahah school just started and im in a tight spot with just about everything

Ash and Eiji's love is often expressed silently. They spend their nights comforting each other until they fall asleep, making sure neither one of them have nightmares, terrifying conclusions and assumptions and scenarios that make their hearts pound and their eyes fill up with tears. The night the pair spent in the guest room of the Katsuki-Nikiforov home was no different.   
This means Eiji knows not to move an inch when Ash has his arms draped over his chest and one leg entangled with both the blankets and Eiji's left. He, instead, stares up at the ceiling and smiles contentedly whenever Aslan puffs sleepily into his neck.

Ten minutes of this tenderness passes, and Ash stirs from his sleep, mumbling indistinctly. His eyes flutter open, and he jolts up. 

Eiji silently places a hand of comfort on Ash's back and breathes in, then out. He smiles.

Ash stops to process his surroundings, and for the two or three seconds where he doesn't recognize the room he's in, he blanches. It dissipates when he finally feels Eiji's warmth.   
He sighs, pressing a hand to his sweaty forehead. "Right. Morning, Eij'." 

* 

Yuuri and Viktor's love differs in volume, but most of the time it's loud. When they're on the ice, it's loud in the sense that when either man skates, their love for the sport translates so effortlessly into the love they feel for one another. Anywhere else, it's expressed through casual PDA. They have a thing for back hugs; Yurio hates it, the media and their other friends absolutely adore it. They peck cheeks as both a greeting and farewell, and they stand with arms snaked around each other's waists. They flirt shamelessly in the middle of tasks, and at the moment, they're spooning while planning out their day. 

"You haven't been to practice in three days, _lyubimiyy_ ," says the slightly muffled voice of Viktor, his head snuggled into Yuuri's hair.

"I will today, darling, but," Yuuri sighs, "What about Ash and Eiji-kun?"

He halts, and it's silent between the two for a while, while Yuuri continues tapping at his screen. 

"Ah! I got it," goes Viktor, snapping his fingers. 

Yuuri smiles wanly and uncertainly. "Go on." 

Viktor then explains that he wants to take their juniors outside, show them around the neighbourhood (most importantly, the bakery, he says), and get to know them, because he admits: "They're an intriguing bunch."

"You felt it too?" asks Yuuri incredulously. 

*

"I forgot to tell you this earlier, Eij'," says Aslan, taking another bite of his toast. "I brought your camera in my bag. It's upstairs." 

Eiji's face lights up and he jumps a little in his seat at the dinner table. "That's great, Aslan! Oh, my God, you know what? On the way to and from the airport, I was looking through the window, and this city is so _pretty._ I wanted to take some pictures, but I didn't have my phone or my camera with me." He slightly pouts and continues. 

Eiji keeps rambling, but Aslan, instead of listening, is rather busy fixating Eiji with a small, almost goofy smile. 

Viktor walks into the living room from the stairs and clears his throat. Ash's expression fades as quickly as it arrived, and he asks by habit, "Everything okay?" 

"Of course." The bags hanging limply on Viktor's shoulders drop to the floor. "We're going," — and he points two fingers dramatically at the pair before him— "Out for a walk."

"A walk?" asks Ash, slowly rising from the couch. 

Eiji turns his head to ogle at him. "To where?" His hand ever-so-slightly descends to fidget at the hem of his t-shirt. 

"Oh, nothing _too_ special," explains Viktor. "I'm simply taking you both around the block."

* * *

"So, I'm morbidly curious," starts Viktor when they're halfway down the street, "How did you guys meet?"

Ash and Eiji share a short, alarmed glance. Eiji looks down and shoves his hands into the pockets of his jacket and seems to suppress an embarrassed simper.

"I-It's. . . complicated," stutters Ash. "Very." 

"Really?" Viktor stops and spins on his heels, then starts walking backwards with a skip in his step, narrowly missing an elderly woman. "You know, the way Yuuri and I got to know each other was quite the adventure." 

Ash nods, stops briefly in turn, and says, directed more to Eiji than Viktor, "Yuuri sat me down the other day and told me everything." 

"No way. _All_ of it?"

"The more important parts, at least." 

They keep walking silently. Sometimes Eiji nudges Ash and eagerly, enthusiastically points out something in the landscape. Ash giggles when he sees the Thing and when Eiji admires it with his heart-eyes, and Viktor has finally caught onto his husband's train of thought.  
He notices that the pair walking beside him have an indescribable connection to one another. He notices that they're often _too_ careful of their surroundings, and Ash is walking without making much sound, and Eiji is constantly watching his boyfriend from the corner of his eye with the slightest of fervent concern. 

"Is this the place you talked about?" asks Ash, coming to a halt before a small, white and modest building with a few tables and chairs laid out in front. It's got a big sign right at the curb driven into the ground that says _Кондитерская Мишеля,_ or _Michail's Confectionery._

"Ah, yes," says Viktor, smiling warmly. He pulls his phone out of his jeans and starts tapping at it while he speaks. "You two go inside, I need to make a call."

Ash and Eiji share another wide-eyed look. "Uh– Viktor-san," Eiji says, "We don't know any Russian." 

"No worries, no worries! Majority of the cashiers know good enough English, and if you tell them you know me, they'll treat you pretty well." Viktor hands Ash a wad of bills and practically pushes them towards the entrance. "Especially Michail!" he adds. 

When Ash and Eiji enter the place, they're hit by the smell of warm bread and glazed sugar, and the sounds of bustling from behind the counter. The bakery is basically vacant, but not struggling, or boring, in the slightest. 

** 

" _Yurio landed a quad flip a few minutes ago_ ," says Yuuri through the phone after he affirms to Viktor that he's doing just _fine_ without his husband-slash-coach, thank you very much, darling.

"He actually came to practice today?" 

" _Hm? Did he not come yesterday?_ "

"He was drinking with friends the whole time. Was Yakov angry?" 

Yuuri pauses, and over the silence, the Yurio in question yells something indistinct in the distance (Viktor can tell it's him, because, jeez, he's known the guy since he was 10.)

" _He has friends?!_ _No way_ _._ "

"I'm not kidding!" Viktor exclaims. "Told me all about it when you weren't here." 

Silence. " _Were the friends... his cats?_ " 

The two burst into a fit of giggles, and when stillness falls and they're breathing hard, Yuuri takes a deep breath, mumbles some more, and asks a question; 

" _What are you guys all doing?_ " 

"Ah, well, I left Ash and Eiji inside Michail's bakery."

" _Viktor, darling—_ " Yuuri audibly halts. " _Alone?!_ " 

"I mean, I gave them about 550 rubles." 

" _And– And what are they doing now?_ "

"Bah, just. . ." Viktor leans forward and peers into the glass walls encasing the store. 

"Ma'am, we aren't lying _._ Viktor-san is just outside. Right there, see?" 

Eiji is struggling. _Hard._ Half the employees at Michail's Confectionery find it difficult to believe that these two complete foreigners, one with a concerningly quiet step and the other with a bounce in his, know _the_ Viktor Katsuki-Nikiforov. They both know no Russian whatsoever, and walked into the bakery like they'd both get mugged while paying for a bag of egg tarts. 

"He could be outside there by coincidence," says the woman wanly. 

Ash has been standing blank-faced next to his boyfriend for three minutes straight, not quite sure of what's going on or what he should do. Sometimes he twists his head to ogle at the silver-haired man leaning against a pole just outside a shop, talking to someone, probably his husband, on the phone. He's wondering why Viktor won't waltz into the store and help them, just clear things up. He thinks the woman at the counter has been suppressing a smile for at least three minutes now. 

Eiji turns to Ash, sighing. "Aslan, should we just wait until he's done?" 

He snaps out of the stupor and stumbles just a bit. "Huh?" 

"Us. Wait. For Viktor-san?" 

Ash frowns, eyeing the glass display.

A few minutes pass where the two stare at the treats before them, mumbling to each other about what they will and won't get.

And finally, fucking _finally_ ;

"—Yes, of course, dear. Mm. I love you."

Viktor hangs up, and enters the building, smiling a little stupidly. "You two okay?" 

And all Ash and Eiji can do is stare at him. 

They manage to exit the store fifteen minutes later with 3 bags of about 6 sweets each. Eiji has to stop Ash from eating all the cookies they'd picked out; Viktor, after promising himself to save half of his choices for Yuuri, has approximately three-quarters of an _oladyi_ and one full lemon tart in his paper bag (because he isn't the fondest of them; he knows his husband adores them, though, so he got them anyway). 

"Are we gonna go anywhere else?" asks Eiji. 

Viktor gets some type of mischievous smirk as they pass by a couple of street vendors. "Would you guys like to see what figure skate practice is like?" 

*

"Oh, fuck, it's you guys again." 

"Yuri! Language!" barks Yakov from across the rink. 

Viktor wordlessly hands the lemon tart to Yuuri and tries to address himself to the blond and his darker-haired boyfriend.

"What do you think?" he asks. His husband leans into his shoulders to slip on his skate guards, and Viktor turns his head to peck Yuuri's cheek, then looks back at the others.  
Ash and Eiji, though, are barely paying attention.  
They both somehow got themselves lemonade, and, they're rather busy, having fun doing love shots with their cans and giggling when they get entangled and nearly spill the beverage over their jackets. 

Viktor sputters. "I— How did you guys _get_ those?"

"Hm?" Ash looks up. "Oh. There's a vending machine outside," he explains. "We used the extra money."

Eiji nods, and their arms carefully untwine. He then rattles the can in Yuuri's direction. 

"How the hell—" 

"D'you want some?" Eiji asks Yuuri. 

Yuuri shakes his head and sits down on a bench, suppressing a giggle when he meets eyes with his stupefied husband. "Nah, I'm good. Yurio might want some, though." 

"I _do not_ ," calls Yurio from a few ten feet away. "Stuff's packed with sugar. I'll get fat." 

"But—" Eiji holds the can up to his face and studies it, then calls back, "It says sugar-free!" 

"I don't recommend trusting labels," mumbles Viktor.

When the four return to the Katsuki-Nikiforov household, they have a dinner complete with discussion of anything and everything. Viktor and Yuuri retell a few anecdotes from their wedding day, and there's some well-earned silence that follows. 

"So," Ash starts after a few thirty seconds, "About a year ago, Eiji and I were living with his parents in Japan." 

"Oh, I miss that place," goes Eiji. He turns to Viktor and briefly adds, "We're moving back to Izumo permanently soon." 

"Oh, that's nice," says Yuuri. "We visit Kyushu every summer." 

Ash's speech starts speeding up as he continues. "Anyway, we were there because I almost died." 

Viktor and Yuuri have to silently do a double-take as they glance at each other. 

"Actually, Eiji kinda thought I already _was_ dead. I had to go to Japan myself in secret to meet him," he says, "We were kind of running from the mafia and some gangs, So I— _we_ fled America to be safe, right?" 

Then, Eiji takes over, chucking nervously. 

"Ash was a big baby on our first date night," he admits. 

"Oh? Tell me more." Viktor smirks. "It can't be as bad as my husband when we first got to know each other." 

The spouse in question shoots Viktor a glare. 

"No offence, dear. You were very bad at affection before that GPF." 

"Very?" Yuuri huffs.

"Insanely." 

The two have a staredown, interrupted by a soft exhale let out by Aslan. Yuuri raises a hand to flick his husband's forehead, then turns to Ash and Eiji. 

"Please," he says, "Go on." 

Ash clears his throat, ready to add in anything his boyfriend might alter. Eiji simpers and shifts in his seat. 

"It was about. . . three months after Aslan came to Japan." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That makes up the official end of Switch !! 
> 
> I spent way too much time working on the chapters and felt really guilty when I couldn't update?? But anyways this was awfully fun to write for a fic idea that came to me in a cold sweat from a dream. All in all, I'm grateful to the readers who kept up with this fic despite its late updates :DD ily all mwah !! 
> 
> \- rhit


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